Dimension of Absence

With Aimée Zito Lema

Art

Synopsis

Dimension of Absence

Although she didn’t personally experience the last Argentinian military junta (1976-1983), Argentinian-Dutch visual artist Aimée Zito Lema grew up in the shadow of the violent history that affected her country and family. At a young age, she grew fascinated with archival photographs of people who dared to risk their lives by resisting Jorge Videla’s military regime.

 

On a visit to Buenos Aires, she includes her daughter in a performative art piece in which they embody the past and imagine a new future, showing the way art can function as a medium for memory work across countries and generations.

Credits

Character
Aimée Zito Lema
Director
Sjors Swierstra
Country
Argentina /Netherlands
Duration
15 min
Year
2023

Bonusfilm

This Is Where We Meet

In the summer of 2021, Aimée Zito Lema presented Here Is Where We Meet, an art installation in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam that explores the traces of resistance in the building. Sjors Swierstra, the director of Dimension of Absence, made an additional film about this artwork.

Fotografie uit de Oude Kerk
Fotografie in de Oude Kerk
Portret Aimée Zito Lema

Biography

Aimée Zito Lema

How does our perception of history shape us? What is remembered, what is forgotten and what is passed on? In her work, visual artist Aimée Zito Lema (1982) investigates the mechanisms of social memory. Through extensive research and the use of archival footage, she asks questions about the relationship between the past and the present. Her art often deals with violence and conflict. She observes, questions, and adds poetic layers to historical facts.

Zito Lema has studied in Buenos Aires, Amsterdam and The Hague. She was artist in residence at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten (2015-2016) and at Eye Filmmuseum Amsterdam (2018- 2019). She has had several solo exhibitions, including at Mercer Union in Toronto (2022).

Click here for the website of Aimée Zito Lema  ↗

Remembrance, Truth, and Justice.

In Argentina, Aimée Zito Lema made extensive use of the National Archive of Remembrence. This public institution preserves and opens up all kinds of documents related to the human rights violations that took place during the civic-military dictatorship of 1976-1983. This archive was established in 2003 as part of the Remembrance, Truth, and Justice Act.